Archive: Oct 2016

This blog was co-authored with Miles Farmer, Clean Energy Attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council. The New York Department of Public Service has proposed to change the way distributed energy resources (like community solar and small wind projects) are rewarded for the benefits that they provide to the electricity system. The Department released a landmark report in its “Value of Distributed Energy Resources” proceeding, recommending a methodology by which these resources can receive credits that align more closely with their true value to the electricity system. Acadia Center and NRDC have been involved in the collaborative process around the report’s creation,Learn More

This summer, an Acadia Center blog post highlighted the clean energy moment happening in Connecticut. Policymakers in that state are currently deciding what its energy future will look like for years to come, and stakeholders must take notice—but Connecticut isn’t the only state having a clean energy moment. In fact, you might say the whole region, country, even world is having a clean energy moment. At Acadia Center, we strive to capture a vision that will help more communities, of whatever size, embrace these moments, and recently in Rhode Island we found ourselves in a room with more than oneLearn More

“Obviously, we still have a ways to go,” said Jordan Stutt, policy analyst for the Acadia Center. “We’re still pretty dependent on some fossil fuels, but as we continue to invest in new energy technologies — as those costs come down, as we build out the infrastructure for distributed energy generation — I think we will be able to achieve that goal.” Watch the news report and read the full article from WMUR here.

The Acadia Center, an environmental nonprofit with an office in Hartford, recently released a report criticizing Lead by Example’s lack of progress. “It doesn’t appear that the program is on track,” said William Dornbos, senior attorney and director of Acadia’s Connecticut office. “It’s hard to see, based on this information, how the program is going to get there.” […] Acadia’s report also criticized DEEP for not releasing mandated annual reports on the program’s progress, which it said makes it difficult for the public to track results. DEEP published annual reports online earlier this month covering 2014 and 2015, following theLearn More

The groups making the request include such environmental groups as the Acadia Center and the Sierra Club, as well as consumer groups including AARP Connecticut and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. […] Bill Dornbos, Connecticut director and senior attorney at Acadia Center, said reducing UI’s current fixed charge for residential customers “would not only give immediate relief to Connecticut homeowners who are struggling with high energy costs, but it would also better align our electricity pricing with our energy efficiency and clean energy policies and help grow clean energy industries that can boost Connecticut’s economy.” Fixed-rate charges became aLearn More

Several intervenors contended that the proposal ran contrary to Massachusetts’ efforts to have its rate design more accurately reflect market conditions. “Reforms to electricity rate design must strike a careful balance between economic efficiency, equity for all customers, protection of low-income ratepayers and access to community distributed generation,” Mark LeBel, staff attorney at Acadia Center, said in a statement. Read the full article from RTO Insider here.

Never before has the urgency of climate action been so apparent, demonstrated by record high temperatures and unprecedented drought. Yet, as the impacts of climate change become more painfully obvious, jurisdictions from small towns to the world’s largest countries are working towards solutions. Since the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) began in the Northeast, the Governors of the participating states have led by embracing, implementing, and improving a first-in-the-nation carbon reduction program. It is now up to a new group of Governors to determine whether RGGI remains a model for ambitious action on climate. What does RGGI leadership mean? LookingLearn More

But pro-solar groups including the Acadia Center, Vote Solar and the Energy Freedom Coalition of America (EFCA) protested that National Grid had failed to provide data or evidence to back up this assertion. DPU’s ruling sided with these protests, finding that National Grid “has not quantified the amount of costs attributable specifically to DG customers and has not quantified the distribution system benefits associated with DG customers in its service territory.” […] But opponents like the nonprofit Acadia Center said that singling out those types of projects would “arbitrarily discourage key types of distributed generation, including community shared solar andLearn More

The magazine goes on to state that by 2040 renewable energies will produce almost half of all electricity worldwide. Further, as pointed out by the Acadia Center, $400 million was saved through the cancellation of proposed transmission line work as a result of sustained investment in energy efficiency in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Read the full article from the Concord Monitor here.

BOSTON – On this day, the first nationwide Energy Efficiency Day, Acadia Center commends New England its recent recognition for a long history of accomplishments in energy efficiency. New England states are among the most highly ranked in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2016 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released last week, and recent action at the policy level promises to increase the region’s contribution to national energy efficiency savings. “New England has become a leader in energy efficiency by implementing strong policies that work for consumers and strengthen the economy while helping to meet climate goals,” saidLearn More